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While reading may be more associated with femininity than masculinity these days -- think book club, steamy romance novels, online erotica and fanfiction -- it does have a long and storied (literally) history of being a manly pastime.

Call us old-fashioned, but we think that devoting time to the pursuit of knowledge and artistic experiences is something to be celebrated, and that it's time for guys to get back in the reading game.

RELATED: Classic Books Every Man Should Read

We're not saying we're against podcasts, video games or binge-watching, just that we think reading a damn good book belongs alongside these noble pursuits.

So if you're looking to get a gift for a cherished man in your life -- whether he's a serious reader or someone who could stand to peruse the pages a bit more, here are 13 picks of books released this year that we think will tickle his fancy.

For guys who love: Music history, hip-hop culture,

In addition to being a hugely talented and successful musician/cultural icon, Questlove is also a scholar. If you didn't know that already, it becomes clear in Hip Hop Is History, an exploration of "the creative and cultural forces that made and shaped hip-hop" that mixes together the stories listeners do know with the behind-the-curtains backstage scoops that can only come from a true insider, all explored with the passion that can only come from a die-hard fan.

$13.95 at Amazon.com

For guys who love: Film, gangster movies, celebrity memoirs

The only thing better than a celebrity exploring their own art form is a celebrity exploring their own... self. You get a seriously personal peek into how the sausage is made, and when it comes to Al Pacino movies, there's lots of people clamoring for just that. Of course, not all celeb memoir is, for lack of a better term, well-written. Thankfully, this one is strong enough to leave readers wanting more.

$17.50 at Amazon.com

For guys who love: Chess, romantic feelings, page-turners

Sally Rooney's fiction may be a bit of a buzzword these days, but the reputation is well-earned. The Irish writer's knack for crafting supremely readable fiction that never feels cheap and two-dimensional is as strong as ever in her latest novel, which explores the lives of two adult brothers in Dublin grieving their father's recent death. Oh, and there's also chess.

$14.50 at Amazon.com

For guys who love: Basketball, lyrical essays, Ohio

There's no better living essayist in America than Hanif Abdurraqib, and for his fourth book, he turns his sights from A Tribe Called Quest (the subject of his last tome) to the beautiful sport of basketball. The Ohioan writer's great talent may be for finding the beauty in things the rest of us treat as mundane, and basketball is a rich subject that was primed for an essayist of Abdurraqib's quality to grapple with, which he does with searing, relentless, achingly poetic prose -- and a lot of heart.

$20.00 at Amazon.com

For guys who love: Sprawling novels, family drama, the American dream

The literary world was waiting on Taffy Brodesser-Akner's follow-up to the wildly successful Fleischmann Is in Trouble, and Long Island Compromise does not disappoint. A tale of riches and the way trauma can eat away at the heart of a family, the book follows a kidnapping of a wealthy businessman in 1980s Long Island and the story of how the long and devastating aftermath plays out on him, his children, his wife and his finances.

$18.99 at Amazon.com

For guys who love: Irish fiction, Italian-American culture, marriage plots

You know how sometimes two movies that are functionally the same story come out around the same time? Like Deep Impact and Armageddon? The literary fiction world got a taste of that this year when two blockbuster novels were released that both have Long Island in the title. Toibin's take on the much-maligned chunk of New York follows the story of an Irish-Italian-American family in the 1970s whose lives are rocked by the appearance of a man at the door one day with a shocking revelation. Also, we can't stress enough that the audiobook is worth listening to.

$14.39 at Amazon.com

For guys who love: Self-improvement, relationships, emotional intelligence

If guys didn't love thinking about how to be better versions of themselves, this website wouldn't exist. Our motto is "be a better man," after all, and that sentiment is right in line with Kristal DeSantis' Strong: A Relationship Field Guide for the Modern Man, which breaks down the green flags women look for in men as well as how to genuinely embody them with up-to-date mental health and relationship insight.

$24.99 at Amazon.com

For guys who love: American fiction, Mark Twain, racial reckoning

Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the lasting masterpieces of American fiction. But its treatment of Jim, a Black character, is very much of its time, and Percival Everett's new novel James imagines the story from Jim's perspective. The writing is both sharp and humorous, showing us the ways that Black perspectives have been erased from the canon and working brilliantly to undo that injustice.

$17.97 at Amazon.com

For guys who love: Graphic novels, father-son stories, war history

Father-son dynamics can be incredibly potent sources of emotional intensity, and that is clear from the getgo with Carl Sciacchitano's The Heart That Fed: A Father, a Son, and the Long Shadow of War, which explores the lasting effects of the Vietnam War on the author's father -- and how they play out in his relationship with his son.

$25.49 at Amazon.com

For guys who love: Videogames, progressive politics, optimism

There are lots of criticisms -- some valid, some less so -- lobbied against video games, but rarely do people see them as a site of hope. In Marijam Did's book Everything to Play For: An Insider's Guide to How Videogames are Changing Our World, we explore a new idea: What if video games could help produce a better world? The book is full of insider info on the industry and tales contextualizing exciting and potentially transformative moments in game history.

$22.77 at Amazon.com

For guys who love: LGBTQ+ history, drag, gender theory

As maligned as it has become in recent years, drag is a long-standing cultural tradition going as far back as gender roles themselves. Whether they're gay, bi or just a tiny bit fruity with it, guys with an interest in queer histories will love Beautiful: The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Female Impersonator. It's a loving and deeply researched homage to an early 20th-century drag icon whose very existence pushed boundaries and questioned norms.

$25.26 at Amazon.com

For guys who love: Back to the Future, cars, design

By various metrics, it may be the most iconic American car of all time -- the DeLorean. But how did such a striking silhouette that's seared forever into the hearts of millions fail so hard as an actual, you know, car company? Matt Stone's DeLorean: The Rise, Fall and Second Acts of the DeLorean Motor Company is a finely researched, must-have exploration of that question that's sure to satisfy a wide variety of different kinds of nerdy guys.

$30.36 at Amazon.com

For guys who love: Business, startups, the grunge look

It's no secret that manufacturing has fled America's shores for countries where things can be made more cheaply. Consequently, the "made in the USA" stamp has some genuine cachet. But what does it mean to make something -- like good, hardworking flannel shirts -- in America today? Steven Kurutz's American Flannel: How a Band of Entrepreneurs Are Bringing the Art and Business of Making Clothes Back Home is a fascinating look at one company's goal to push back against the trend and an uncovering of myriad inspiring stories of entrepreneurs and dreamers trying to make something in this country again.

$21.48 at Amazon.com

For guys who love: Conspiracy theories, '90s history, American politics

If you've ever appreciated the X-Files characters known as "the lone gunmen," subjects of a short-lived spinoff show, you're sure to appreciate John Ganz's When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s. As the title notes, it's an exploration of the forces that produced the anger and turmoil that paved the way for today's deeply divided political climate.

$19.30 at Amazon.com